I know, I know...the first day of fall isn't until September 22nd. But can you blame me with this weather?! As soon as I saw that the temperature was staying cool for more than a week, I jumped to put out all of my fall decorations. It's my favorite time of the year (with Christmas as a close second). I love that I can open all of my windows, sit on my front porch swing any time of the day, and light a fire in our fire pit while we play cards on the back porch in the evenings. It's magical and oh so cozy. My husband even broke out a long sleeved shirt last night! Amazing, because he's a heater.

So of course, to add to the bliss, I had to bake pumpkin bread. But not just any pumpkin bread. My mom-in-law's pumpkin bread. It's perfectly moist, perfectly sweet, and perfectly spicy. How could I keep something like that to myself?? So to help get you in the fall spirit, I'm going to share the recipe today. You're welcome.

In my opinion, baking something like this needs to be an experience; I want to enjoy the process. For that reason, my favorite time to bake is in the morning in a perfectly clean kitchen.

The kitchen in our little farmhouse is also one of my favorite places in the whole world. The sun rises behind our home, causing our whole kitchen to fill with that crisp, pure, morning light. We have so many windows in here, and wow. I just love it. And to make the experience even better? Making that first morning cup of coffee. If you can't tell, I love processes, and for me and my husband, coffee is just that. It's a soothing experience first thing in the morning--a good time to pray and ponder.

Now that the coffee is made, it's time to bake. This recipe is really so simple & takes no time. You throw all the ingredients into your mixer & let it do the work.

Here's what you'll need:

3 c. sugar (half white, half brown)

5 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ginger

2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

4 eggs

1 c. oil

2/3 c. water

1 15oz. can of pumpkin

3 1/2 c. flour

Mix all of your dry ingredients together except the flour. Add in your wet ingredients, and mix until smooth.Gradually add in your flour until it's thoroughly mixed.

*It'll seem like 3 1/2 cups is too much and that the batter is too thick, but it's not. I promise.*

My mom-in-law uses 4 13-oz coffee cans to bake them in (I used to also, until I lost them in the move). If you use coffee cans, fill them up half way. I used a 9x13 glass pan this time. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

DONE. See, so easy. Your house will fill with the best smells in the whole world, and then you'll get to enjoy the tastiest pumpkin bread ever.

Don't forget--the baking is much more fun if you have your fall decorations out to enjoy with it ;)

8 days to Christmas-are y’all getting excited like my house is?!
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We have some family Christmas 🎄 traditions that we look forward to each year.
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We love attending the candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve. There’s something magical about singing hymns with just the glow of 🕯 surrounding you. As soon as we leave church, we eat Chinese-just like on #thechristmasstory
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We also decided early on in our marriage not to give each other gifts on Christmas. Honestly, we tend to do so many house projects, we laugh and say our Christmas gifts are usually new flooring, new paint jobs or some other renovation project🤣
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Speaking of gifts, when our kids were born we told Santa 🎅🏻 that he only needed to bring them 3 🎁 each. They think long and hard on what they want their three to be each year✨
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This year, I’m excited to try a new gift exchange with my family. All the adults are bringing one “as seen on TV” gift, and we are playing a game to see who gets each gift!
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Do you have a holiday tradition you look forward to each year? Drop your favorite below👇🏻

I’m dreaming of blue skies and the 🌊 today.
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A few weeks ago, I conquered my fear of being out on a boat in the ocean to go deep-sea fishing 🐠 I also touched a fish for probably the first time in my life😜
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I grew up fishing with my parents on Lake Graham, but I never baited my own hook or touched a fish when I caught one.
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Looking back on this little 6-hour trip we took, if I had said “no” because I was scared, I would have missed seeing sea creatures I’d never seen before. I would have missed watching my daughter bait her own hook! I would have missed one of the best days out on the ocean with my family as we reeled in some pretty amazing fish 🎣 .
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Saying “yes” even when we are scared can allow us to experience moments we otherwise would miss.
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Dale Carnegie said, “If you want to conquer fear, don’t sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” Pretty good advice, if you ask me✨ #livethelittlethings #lifeofadventure

These two will leave our venue tonight as Mr. and Mrs.💕
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Happy wedding day to Emily and John✨ 📷: @kristajoyphotography